Lagerstroemia plant named &#39;piilag-vi&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Lagerstroemia  plant named ‘PIILAG-VI’, characterized by its compact, rounded to upright, intermediate growth habit, orange-red new growth, dark green mature foliage, orange-red young stems, bright red flowers, ability to rebloom in about 5-6 weeks if old flowers are removed, and resistance to powdery mildew and  Cercospora  leaf spot.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/785,058 filed Mar. 14, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

GENUS AND SPECIES OF PLANT CLAIMED

Lagerstroemia L.

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘PIILAG-VI’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofLagerstroemia plant, botanically known as Lagerstroemia L., commonlyknown as crapemyrtle, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name‘PIILAG-VI’. ‘PIILAG-VI’ is grown primarily as an ornamental forlandscape use and for use as a potted plant.

‘PIILAG-VI’ originated from an open-pollination of Lagerstroemia‘PIILAG-III’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,178) growing in Watkinsville, Ga.in 2008. The cultivar ‘PIILAG-VI’ originated and was selected in acultivated environment in Watkinsville, Ga. from the progeny of thisopen-pollination by continued evaluation for growth habit and foliageand flower characteristics.

Asexual reproduction of ‘PIILAG-VI’ by stem cuttings in Watkinsville,Ga. since 2010 has shown that all the unique features of this newLagerstroemia, as herein described, are stable and reproducedtrue-to-type through successive generations of such asexual propagation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new cultivar ‘PIILAG-VI’ have not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withchanges in light, temperature, soil and rainfall without, however, anyvariance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe unique characteristics of ‘PIILAG-VI’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘PIILAG-VI’ as a new and distinct cultivar,unique from all other cultivars known to the inventor: 1. Compact,rounded to upright, intermediate growth habit; 2. Orange-red new growth;3. Dark green mature foliage; 4. Orange-red young stems; 5. Bright redflowers; 6. Ability to rebloom in about 5-6 weeks if old flowers areremoved; 7. Resistance to powdery mildew and Cercospora leaf spot.

‘PIILAG-VI’ is distinguished from its female parent, ‘PIILAG-III’, byits growth habit, foliage color and disease resistance. ‘PIILAG-VI’ hasa compact, rounded to upright, intermediate growth habit, orange-red newgrowth, and improved resistance to Cercospora leaf spot, whereas‘PIILAG-III’ has a compact, upright, intermediate growth habit,red-purple new growth, and moderate resistance to Cercospora leaf spot.

‘PIILAG-VI’ can be compared to the cultivar ‘PIILAG B5’ (Plant PatentApplied For), but differs in the following characteristics. ‘PIILAG-VI’has an overall smaller rounded to upright growth habit and brighterorange-red new growth and stems, whereas ‘PIILAG B5’ has an overalllarger upright growth habit and darker red new growth and stems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying color photographs illustrate the flower and foliagecharacteristics and the overall appearance of ‘PIILAG-VI’, showing thecolors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colorreproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differslightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanicaldescription which accurately describe the colors of the newLagerstroemia.

FIG. 1 illustrates the overall appearance of a plant of ‘PIILAG-VI’planted in the ground.

FIG. 2 illustrates a close-up view of the flowers of ‘PIILAG-VI’.

FIG. 3 illustrates a close-up view of the new growth of ‘PIILAG-VI’.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants used for thedescription were approximately two-years-old and were grown in 11.8 Lcontainers under outdoor conditions in Watkinsville, Ga. Colors aredescribed using The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart (R.H.S.).

-   Botanical classification: Lagerstroemia L., cultivar ‘PIILAG-VI’.    Parentage: Female, or seed, parent: Lagerstroemia ‘PIILAG-III’ (U.S.    Plant Pat. No. 23,178). Male, or pollen parent: unknown    (open-pollinated). Propagation: terminal cuttings. Time to initiate    roots, summer: about 21 days at 32° C.-   Plant description: Deciduous flowering shrub; compact, rounded to    upright, intermediate growth habit. Freely branching; pruning    enhances lateral branch development.-   Root description: numerous, fine, fibrous and well-branched.-   Plant size: the original plant, now about five-years-old in the    ground, is about 132 cm high from the soil level to the top of the    inflorescences and about 118 cm wide. First year stems have a    diameter of about 2.5 mm. Shape: squarish. Second year and older    stems have a diameter of about 3.5 mm or more. Shape: round.-   Trunk diameter: 2.6 cm at the soil line. Color: 199D.-   Internode length: about 1.4 cm.-   Strength: flexible when young, easily broken once mature.-   First year stem color (young): 42B. Color (woody): 200C.-   Second year and older stem color: N199B.-   Bark: exfoliates in strips beginning on second or third year stems.-   Vegetative buds: Sub-opposite to alternate in arrangement,    imbricate, conical, with no pubescence. Color: 183C. Size: about 3    mm in length and 2 mm in width.-   Foliage description:-   Arrangement: sub-opposite to alternate, simple. Length: about    5.2 cm. Width: about 2.6 cm. Shape: elliptical. Apex: acuminate.    Base: cuneate. Margin: entire.-   Texture (upper and lower surfaces): glabrous and glossy.-   Venation pattern: pinnate. Venation color of emerging foliage (upper    surface): 183A. Venation color of emerging foliage (lower surface):    178B. Venation color of fully expanded foliage (upper surface): 178A    at the base, changing to 174C at the apex. Venation color of fully    expanded foliage (lower surface): 174B.-   Color in developing foliage (upper and lower surfaces): 42B. Color    in mature foliage (upper surface): 147A. Color in mature foliage    (lower surface): 146B. Color of the leaf margin of mature foliage    (upper and lower surfaces): N186C.-   Petiole length: about 1.5 mm. Petiole diameter: about 1 mm. Petiole    color (upper and lower surfaces): 178A. Pubescence: none.-   Flower description: Flowers are produced from about June to    September in Watkinsville, Ga. If the plants are deadheaded, or the    old flowers removed, they will rebloom in about 8-10 weeks. An    inflorescence is showy for about two weeks, and individual flowers    last about one day and are self-cleaning.-   Inflorescence type: terminal panicle. Inflorescence length: about    11.7 cm. Inflorescence width: about 9.6 cm.-   Peduncle: about 9.5 cm in length, about 2 mm in diameter, color is    181A, and no pubescence.-   Individual flowers: about 2.2 cm in height and 3.2 cm in diameter.-   Flower buds: Length: about 8 mm; Diameter: about 8 mm; Color: 46C.-   Pedicels: about 8 mm in length, 44B in color, and no pubescence.-   Calyx: consists of 6 fused sepals with acute apices and 176B in    color. The calyx is about 9 mm in length, about 9 cm in diameter,    178B in color, and no pubescence.-   Petals:-   Arrangement/appearance: usually 6 per flower.-   Petal length: about 1.5 cm.-   Petal width: about 1.3 cm.-   Petal shape: fan-shaped. Petal apex: ruffled, rounded. Petal base:    sagittate. Petal margin: ruffled. Petal texture (upper and lower    surfaces): glabrous.-   Petal color: upper and lower surfaces are 46A.-   Stamens:-   Quantity/arrangement: About 25 to 30 short stamens clustered in the    center, about 8 mm long, filament color is 37C, and anther color is    13A. The short stamens are surrounded by 6 longer stamens, about 1.4    cm long, filament color is 44C, and anther color is 13A. The stamens    are not pubescent. Pollen: produced in moderate quantities and is 7B    in color on all stamens.-   Pistils:-   Quantity: One superior pistil per flower. Pubescence: none. Pistil    length: about 1.9 cm in length. Stigma shape: round, about 1 mm in    diameter. Stigma color: 144B. Style color: 41C and about 1.4 cm in    length. Ovary color: 10B and about 2.5 mm in diameter.-   Fruit:-   Type/appearance: six-valved, dehiscent, broad ellipsoidal capsule.    Length: about 8 mm. Diameter: about 8 mm. Immature color: 144A.    Mature color: 200C. Each capsule contains many seeds that are about    5 mm long, 3 mm wide, and 200C in color.-   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of ‘PIILAG-VI’ grown in field and    container trials have exhibited resistance to powdery mildew and    Cercospora leaf spot. ‘PIILAG-VI’ is cold hardy in USDA Cold    Hardiness Zones 6-9.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Lagerstroemia plant named ‘PIILAG-VI’, asillustrated and described herein.